GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- A jury trial involving the Ford Motor Company begins this week in Brownsville, Texas -- the first court trial for Ford since the controversy surrounding accidents involving Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires began. The lawsuit is based on allegations by the family of Margarita Gonzalez that implicate Ford in her death in a July 2000 rollover accident involving a 1998 Ford Explorer equipped with Firestone tires. Ford has settled a number of other lawsuits involving its Explorers out of court, and last month the Gonzalez family reached a last-minute out-of-court settlement with Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.
Although the outcome of the lawsuit itself will depend on the evidence and arguments presented in court, the entire controversy surrounding the Explorer and Firestone tires has been playing itself out in the court of public opinion for many months. Last year, Firestone recalled 6.5 million tires, while Ford reached the decision to replace millions of other Firestone tires on its own. The two companies have broken off their relationship, which began many years ago and involved the founders of both companies.
The American public has been following the controversy on a relatively close basis. In a Gallup poll conducted in late June and early July, 65% of Americans said they were following the controversy at least somewhat closely, putting the story near the top of all news stories tested using this measure this year. (An even higher percentage of Americans were following the story closely last September, however, after it first reached the front pages of newspapers across the country.)
Despite the highly negative circumstances involved in the controversy -- accidents, deaths and injuries -- there have apparently been at least some salubrious benefits. Almost half of American adults say they are now more concerned about the safety of the tires on their car or truck as a result of the Explorer/Firestone situation.
Part of the acrimony that has developed between Ford and Firestone has revolved around the issue of recalls -- who should initiate them and at what level. The American public tilts toward the belief that the federal government itself should decide whether to impose mandatory recalls. Given a choice, 51% of those interviewed in the late June and early July poll said that the government should institute the mandatory recalls, while 43% say decisions on recalls should be left up to the two companies themselves.
Not surprisingly, both companies have apparently suffered from the controversy. A Gallup poll conducted earlier this summer showed that at least half of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of both the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires:
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the following products? How about -- [ROTATED: Firestone tires (or) Ford Explorer Sport Utility Vehicles]?
A. Firestone Tires
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
23% |
64 |
1 |
12 |
B. Ford Explorer Sport Utility Vehicles
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
36% |
51 |
1 |
12 |
|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
||||
Additional polling suggests that the overall image of Bridgestone/Firestone may have been more severely damaged -- at least temporarily -- than the image of the Ford Motor Company has been, perhaps because tires are Firestone's core business while Ford manufactures many automobiles and trucks other than the Explorer. An early June Gallup poll showed that 57% of Americans had a favorable opinion of the Ford Motor Company, while only 31% had a favorable opinion of Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.
In terms of assigning responsibility, about half of Americans say the blame for the accidents involving Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires lies equally with the vehicles and the tires. Another 37% say the blame lies more with Firestone tires, while 7% say that it lies more with Ford. Previous survey research confirms the tendency for Americans to focus somewhat more on the tire company than on the automobile company. For example, Gallup asked Americans which side they were more likely to believe about who was to blame for the Explorer/Firestone accident rates. Without being given the choice of saying "both equally," 52% of those interviewed in June of this year said they were more likely to believe Ford, while 23% said Firestone. Similarly, a Newsweek poll conducted last September found that 48% held Firestone more responsible than Ford for the failure to warn consumers, and 6% said that Ford was more responsible, with the rest undecided.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,014 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 28-July 1, 2001, and 1,011 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 8-10, 2001. For results based on samples with these sizes, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
How closely have you been following the news about the dispute between Firestone and Ford over who is to blame for the accident rates on Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires -- very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all closely?
|
Very |
Somewhat closely |
Not too closely |
Not at all |
No |
|
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
19% |
46 |
23 |
12 |
* |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
|||||
Which of the following comes closest to your view about who is to blame for the accidents involving Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires -- [ROTATED: the blame lies more with the Ford Explorer, the blame lies equally with Ford Explorer and Firestone tires, or the blame lies more with the Firestone tires]?
|
More with |
Lies equally with Ford/ |
More with Firestone tires |
No |
|
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
7% |
47 |
37 |
9 |
As a consequence of this situation concerning Ford Explorers and Firestone tires, are you, personally, more concerned about the safety of the tires on your own car or truck, or are you not more concerned?
|
Yes, more concerned |
No, not |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
49% |
49 |
2 |
Just your opinion, do you think that -- [ROTATED: the U.S. government should decide whether to impose mandatory recalls on Firestone tires and/or Ford Explorers, (or do you think) the U.S. government should let Firestone and Ford make their own decisions about recalls of their products]?
|
Government |
Firestone/Ford |
No |
|
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
51% |
43 |
6 |
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the following products? How about -- [ROTATED: Firestone tires (or) Ford Explorer Sport Utility Vehicles]?
BASED ON -- 504 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A; ±5 PCT. PTS.
A. Firestone Tires
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
23% |
64 |
1 |
12 |
B. Ford Explorer Sport Utility Vehicles
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
36% |
51 |
1 |
12 |
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the following companies? How about -- [ROTATED: Bridgestone/ Firestone, Inc. (or) Ford Motor Company]?
BASED ON -- 507 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B; ±5 PCT. PTS.
A. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
31% |
56 |
2 |
11 |
B. Ford Motor Company
|
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
NEVER HEARD OF (vol.) |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
57% |
35 |
* |
8 |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
||||
In the dispute between Firestone and Ford over who is more to blame for the accident rates on Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires, whose side are you more likely to believe -- [ROTATED: Firestone's side (or) Ford's side]?
|
Firestone's side |
Ford's side |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
23% |
52 |
25 |
(vol.) Volunteered response
